


Do I Need a Reason?

by YukiRiikus_Reading_Room



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bunker Fic, Developing Relationship, Domestic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fallen Angels, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Human Gabriel, Hunter Retirement, M/M, Protective Gabriel, Protective Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2017-12-22 08:12:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/910922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukiRiikus_Reading_Room/pseuds/YukiRiikus_Reading_Room
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam finally throws in the towel on hunting, residing at the bunker picking up Bobby's old gig of providing valuable research and information to the hunter network. Besides being Dean and Cas's way station between jobs, he lives alone with his books.</p><p>And then Gabriel shows up to ruin everything.  Except, he can't decide if 'ruin' is really the right word...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Codepence

**Author's Note:**

> This is the fic I'm writing for this request I got on Tumblr: As the Winchester boys settle into their endgame - Dean & Cas out hunting together, Sam as a more domestic Bobby (maybe still in the bunker) but still single - Gabriel returns. "So I see you took my advice about losing the codependency. Only took you six years." Sam is annoyed by the new housemate, until he's not.

“Hello?... Speaking. Yes, Agents Melanie and Rosen, I sent them out just this morning to deal with the situation… it might seem that way at first, but those are two of the very best agents we have on the force down here, aced all their exams and do exemplary field work… I was under the impression that they’d be receiving full cooperation from local enforcement officials. I’d hate to have to call your superior to sort things out… that’s good to hear. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Hanging up the phone marked FBI, Sam Winchester went back to the kitchen to finish cooking his scrambled eggs and toast, dunking his tea bag back and forth into his cup where it had been steeping for a few minutes as he went humming to himself.  No one had been particularly surprised when Sam had said he wanted to give up life on the road and take over Bobby’s old job of running the hunter networks and fake federal office phones for emergencies.  It had taken a few days to rebuild their hunting contacts and get everyone on the same page, but within a few weeks everything was running smoothly.  Half the hunters in the United States now called Sam when they needed research done on the fly, or when a local cop wanted to speak with ‘their boss in the CIA/NSA/FBI/NCIS” or any other military or federal group a hunter was using for cover on a job.  With the bunker’s library full stocked, especially after he’d spent a weekend moving all of Bobby’s books into the library – not to mention spending almost three weeks reading, notating, and reorganizing every book in the entire bunker so that things would be easier to locate when a hunter called with an immediate problem – Sam was well versed and stocked on any potential knowledge anyone would be calling him for. 

There were rare days when he missed being out in the field beside his brother, but it helped to know that he had Castiel with him.

Once they’d found their trench coated former angel after the mass fall from Heaven, they’d taken it upon themselves to train him to be the best hunter he could be, dragging him with them wherever they went.  It had been hard at first for the former angel to adjust to human life, especially the parts about needing food and sleep, but he’d shown a real aptitude for fighting from his days of being a soldier for Heaven, and it wasn’t long before he had things down like a pro.  It didn’t take Sam long after that before he suggested he might be better used if he stayed at the bunker full time.  Besides the fact that he was more than ready to settle himself in one place, the Impala felt cramped and wrong with three people in it, especially when there was so much smothering sexual tension brewing between two of the three of them. 

Now with Sam living in the bunker mostly alone except for the times when the pair popped in to sleep, get a quick meal, or mine him for information, things between the two brothers were going better than they had in years. 

Suddenly, there came a knock at the front door, Sam raising an eyebrow at it.  He knew Dean, absentminded though he could be, wouldn’t dare risk losing his key to the bunker.  Hell, they’d even made Castiel one once it became clear that he was back for good, especially once his brother finally got over himself and his perceived ideals about masculinity and told Cas exactly how he’d always felt about him.  With a shotgun in one hand and his tea in the other, Sam made his way to the door, cracking it open to see who was outside. 

"So I see you took my advice about losing the codependency. Only took you six years."

His tea splashed all over the floor, the cup fragmenting into shards and broken pieces as it collided with the tiled floor as Sam stared at the man standing a few feet away from him looking far too alive considering the last time he’d seen him. 

“Gabriel.”  Sam said breathlessly, quickly stepping back so that the Trickster could slip into the bunker stepping carefully around the mess on the floor.  “How are you alive?”

“Beats me, you gorgeous Moose.  But hey, from what I’ve heard on the street Daddy-o brought back little Cassie more than a few times, why shouldn’t be spare one measly little resurrection on me?”  Gabe grinned, raising an eyebrow when Sam immediately pulled a knife from his pocket looking at him with a stern expression.  “Ah, I’ve heard about this part of the hunter paranoia.  This is the part where you prick me like a pin cushion and experiment to make sure I’m not something dangerous, right?” 

“The other option is I just shoot you and have done with it already.  I’m quite a fan of that myself, it’s a much shorter process.”  Sam suggested, raising his knife again when Gabriel laughed but shook his head.  Reaching out he grasped Gabe’s arm tightly, cutting a medium sized gash into his forearm with his silver blade before reaching into his pocket for his packet of rock salt and flask of holy water. 

“So, when you took over your Uncle’s old gig you inherited his old man grumpiness I see, good to know.  I wish someone had warned me ahead of time, but I guess I can roll with this.”  Gabe grinned, frowning as he received a splash of holy water to his face, quickly followed by a handful of salt.  “Really, was that necessary?”

“No, but I was hoping it might shut you up.  Apparently I was wrong.”  Sam sighed, shrugging as Gabriel followed him into the kitchen wiping his face on his sleeve as he went.  “So what are you doing here anyway?” 

“Yikes, hermit boy, I just got here and you’re already trying to force me out.”  Gabe said, flopping down into a seat at the table beside the former hunter.  “Fine, we’ll do it your way.  I came for information.”

“On what, exactly?” 

“On why I had to watch all my brothers and sisters fall from Heaven, for a start.”  Gabe said sadly, Sam choking slightly on his tea at his words.  Setting it aside he looked up at the former angel’s sorrowful face.  There was such sadness there, such longing to understand that Sam couldn’t find it within himself to be snide to him in response.  “I leave you two alone with the fate of the world for like five minutes and when I come back I’m told that the apocalypse was cancelled, but everything still went to shit, and someone mentioned purgatory.  Then I get on a plane to come find you guys when I realized I’ve been reborn with none of my heavenly powers, halfway here I look out the window and watch all my siblings falling to the Earth from Heaven like fucking morbid confetti.  Now tell me, what the hell is going on?” 

“It’s kind of a long story.”  Sam said slowly, standing up and heading over to the stove.  “Why don’t I make you a cup of tea for while we talk?”

“Fine, but I’ll need lots of sugar for it.”

 

*                                  *                                  *

 

“So it was Cas.  Of course it was… Man, Dad doesn’t have any terrible plans that don’t hinge on Heaven’s littlest angel, does he?”  Gabriel sighed, halfheartedly stirring the remaining sticky pile of sugar sticking to the bottom of his cup like sludge as if it might somehow give him the answers.

“Now you know, at least.”  Sam said, unsure what else he could possibly say in this situation.  “What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t really know.  I mean, what sort of help am I going to be for my family if I don’t have powers anymore either?  I can’t even go back to being the Trickster in my current state.”  He sighed, pressing his forehead down into the table.  “I’m not… really good at anything else.  Other than sleeping around and throwing parties, I guess.  I didn’t really pick up practical skills when I had the chance.  I was an archangel, I could make whatever I wanted happen that way.  Now everything’s so human.”

“So are all your siblings.”  Sam said softly, Gabriel looking up at him as though startled from a deep sleep.  Reaching across the table Sam rested a hand on one of the Trickster’s a small smile on his face.  “Look, you might not understand being human just yet, but neither do they.  And they’re all no doubt feelings the same things you are.  At least you’ve been on Earth before, though.  For some of them, this must be entirely overwhelming. You at least made this place your home for centuries; I’m sure some of them don’t really understand what’s happening.”

“You’re probably right…”  Gabe said, tears springing up in his eyes as he stared down at the tabletop.  “Fuck, they must be so scared and alone…”

“Maybe your new mission could be to find and help the other fallen angels get adjusted in their new lives as humans.”  Sam suggested, jerking back when Gabriel suddenly grabbed his hand in both of his.  When he chanced look up, it was to find the other man smiling brightly at him.  “Uhhh…”

“Thanks, Sammy.  I’m glad I came here.  Now I know what I’ve got to do.”  Gabe grinned, letting go of his hand and standing up.  “Well, I should probably get your of your hair.  You didn’t even want to let me in, and I’m sure I’ve already overstayed my welcome.” 

“It’s the middle of the night already.  You can’t be seriously thinking of going after your siblings now, are you?”  He asked with a smirk, shaking his head to keep from laughing when the former arch angel rubbed at the back of his neck in embarrassment.  “You should get some rest, start fresh tomorrow morning with your search.  Do you need a right?  I could drive you back to wherever you’re staying.” 

“Um… well, I got off the plane and hitchhiked the whole way here, so…”  Gabe said in a worried voice, turning away when Sam raised an eyebrow at him.  “I didn’t really get that far.”

“Oh, I see.  Well then, I guess you’d better stay here.”

Gabriel turned around to stare at him, his mouth hanging open slightly.  Sam set their cups in the sink, turning to give him a look of slight annoyance. 

“I can’t very well kick you out in the middle of the night, and it’s not like there isn’t room for you here since I’m alone.”  Sam said, jerking his head for Gabriel to follow him as he headed out of the room.  The Trickster followed being careful to stay a few steps behind him at all times, not wanting to press his luck by getting too close.  “You can stay in the room Dean and Castiel use when they visit between hunts if you want, they won’t be back for a week or so I expect.  It’s a little smaller than the dormitory style guest rooms where I put other hunters who stop by for information, but it’s definitely more comfortable.”

“Thanks.” Gabe said as they reached the room.  Sam stepped back letting Gabriel inside, standing in the doorway as the former angel looked around.  It wasn’t terribly impressive, but there were hints of home and of Dean and Castiel’s personal tastes littered around the room: a beat up guitar Dean had brought home once after a hunt, the various feathers and bee related knickknacks Cas had started collecting, the wardrobe left open to reveal the clothes they’d left behind.  Gabriel took it all in with a smile on his face, turning back to Sam with tears in his eyes.  “You really don’t have to let me stay, but I’m glad that you are.   And… thank you for giving me a reason to keep going.  I didn’t realize how badly I needed that until you gave it to me.”

“No problem.”  Sam said, slightly stunned that Gabe had completely dropped his shield of humor.  It was strange to see him acting so human, so earnest and unlike himself.  It made something in Sam’s chest contract painfully in a way he wasn’t wholly sure he disliked.  “Well I’ll be down the hall if you need me.  Just… don’t’ wake me without a good reason, okay?  I have to  be up early tomorrow to do more research for a case out in Kentucky.”

“Whatever you say, Moose.  Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight Trickster.” 


	2. Cell Phones and Purposes

Gabriel awoke slowly with a groan, glancing over at the clock to find it was only a little passed five in the morning.  Closing his eyes, he tried to force himself to go back to sleep.  Trying to get comfortable he flipped over, his hand falling on feathers. 

His entire body tightening, his shoulder shaking as he ran his hand down the feathers, tears rising in his eyes when they meshed seamlessly into other feathers, his hand running down the length of one of his wings.  It was all he could do to keep from sobbing as he touched the wings he’d missed for so long, the wings he’d regenerated without and left him feeling empty ever since.  He’d missed how it felt to fly, to wrap them around himself when he slept, that oh so familiar pressure just below his shoulder blades that he’d never appreciated until it was no longer there.  Still half asleep, he tried to get his other wing up over himself but couldn’t, eventually reaching behind himself to pull it over himself.  He must have jerked too hard, because suddenly his wing was all the way in front of him in his hand attached to nothing.  Sitting up, he flipped on the light, rubbing his eyes with his free hand trying to full wake himself.  Gabriel stared at the wing held in his hand for a full five seconds, uncomprehending and sorrowful, because he started screaming.

“What the hell?” 

Sam burst through the door, shotgun in hand, clearly ready for a battle.  When he caught sight of Gabriel sitting in the middle of the bed with his fingers threaded through feathers, his screams dissipating into sobs as he buried his face in his hands.  Setting his gun down with a small sigh, Sam shuffled into the room and crawled onto the bed to pull Gabriel into a tight embrace.  The former angel stiffened for a few moments, resisting as the wing was crushed between them before collapsing into the hunters arms burying his face into the collar of his shirt. 

“I see you found Cas’s wings.  I’m sorry, I didn’t know he’d left them in the bed or I would have moved them before I brought you in here.”  Sam said, gently stroking the other man’s hair.  Sniffing, Gabe shifted to look up at him, a confused frown on his face. 

“These aren’t his wings at all.”  He sniffed, closing his eyes against the surges of emotions he felt swirling within him.  “Wall lost our wings.  Where did these come from?”

“Dean made these for Cas after he started staying here.”  Sam said, smiling when Gabriel looked up at him in shock.  “When we found him, Castiel was wrecked.  He was barely eating, couldn’t sleep, didn’t make much sense.  He was broken from everything that had happened.  Dean set to work putting him back together again.  In the process he realized Cas was having trouble sleeping without his wings, so be took a few weeks and made him these.  They’re hooked together with soft leather straps so that you can hook them on and wear them to bed without being uncomfortable.”

“Your brother got the color wrong.”  Gabe said, pulling back from Sam to examine the golden feathers.  He ran a hand down them, a small smile on his face.  “Castiel’s wings were black, not gold.”

“I know.”  Sam said sadly, looking away from the Trickster.  When he started speaking again, his voice was filled with a sadness only hurtful past memories could hold.  “This was the second pair Dean made.  The first were black, like Cas’s wings, but when Dean took them to him he started screaming and wouldn’t stop.  Panicked, convinced he’d hurt Cas, he got in the Impala and left.  Took me almost two weeks to track him down and convince him to come back.  Cas didn’t leave his room the entire time Dean was gone.  When he finally got back, it took Dean a few more days to calm Cas down and get him talking…”

“They reminded him too much of falling, didn’t they?  They reminded him of losing his own wings.”  Gabe said gently, his voice shaking slightly.  Sam watched him carefully, worry flickering in his eyes.  “How did these happen exactly?  Why these?” 

“Dean offered to make him a new pair in a different color, let him have someone else’s wings instead if that would make him feel better.  Cas picked out the color, and he’s been sleeping soundly with them when he’s here ever since.”   Sam said slowly, watching the small flickers of emotion in Gabe’s face change as he spoke.  There was pain there, but also longing and love, affection for his little brother shining just as brightly as the deep seated agony he was feeling.  Reaching out, Sam placed a hand on top of Gabriel’s where it lay caressing a golden wing softly.  “These are what your wings looked like, aren’t they?”

“They’re almost exact, minus the size.  My real wings wouldn’t have fit in this room.”  Gabe said proudly, sniffing back tears.  “I can’t believe Cassy had your brother make him my wings.”

“They probably made him feel safe and protected.  That’s what older brothers are for, right?  To keep us younger brothers safe.”  Sam said, reaching up to tuck a loose strand of Gabe’s hair behind his ear.  “I used to be that way.”

“Really?”  Gabe asked, smiling up at him.  Sam nodded, his face going red.  “What of Dean’s did you use?”

“It’s… kind of embarrassing.  Don’t you ever tell anyone I told you this, you hear me?  I’m going to trust you on this so you have to swear never to tell anyone, especially my brother.”  Sam said in a hard voice, his face softening when Gabriel didn’t hesitate to nod.  “It was his jacket.  Yeah, I know it was Dad’s before it was Dean’s, but Dad never made me feel safe, and whenever Dean hugged me he was wearing that jacket.  It sort of became my security blanket, you know?  When we were cold in the back of the Impala driving across country, Dean would take it off and let me wear it to stay warm, and sometimes he left it with me in the motel when he and Dad went on a hunt without me.  It was easier to sleep somehow when I had the jacket with me.  I always just assumed it meant Dean would come back fine, because there was no way he was going to let me keep it.”

“That’s kind of adorable, if you don’t mind me saying so.”  Gabe grinned as Sam turned red again.  Reaching passed him for his coat on the ground he rummaged inside an inner pocket, smiling as he pulled two long flight feathers from its folds.  He held them up for the Winchester to see the one white and one tawny, coppery feather.  “These belonged to Michael and Lucifer, back from before the Fall.  When I fled Heaven, these were some of the only things I took with me.  Had them on my when I died, and somehow, they were still there when I woke up.  Sometimes, they’re the only things that keep me from going insane about all of this mess.”

“Cute.”  Sam said, smiling when Gabriel rolled his eyes.  “Anyways, you should try and go back to sleep.”

“What about you?  Aren’t you going back to bed?”  Gabe asked as the hunter stood up, stretching his arms over his head. 

“Nah, I was already awake when you started freaking out.  Got up around four to get back to work researching for this big case out in Kentucky.  We’re seeing signs of vampire activity, but also witch magic, even though those two creatures don’t tend to live anywhere near each other.”  Sam explained, running a hand through his hair tiredly.  “Once I find something to report I’ll get some sleep, but at the rate this is going I doubt I’ll be done with this before midnight tonight.”

“Let me help you then.”  Gabe said at once, Sam raising an eyebrow at him.  “I know I can’t be of use angelically, but I’m sure I can help you research at the very least.”

“What about going out to find the other fallen angels?  How are you going to help them if you aren’t well rested?”  Sam asked.  Turning away he headed for the hall, calling back over his shoulder.  “It’s fine, really.  Go back to bed, I can do this on my own.”

“Just like you do everything else, even when you don’t have to.  Same old Sammy.”  Gabe sighed to himself, flicking out the lights and flipping over, his other hand buried deep in the feathers of his wing replica.  “At least some things never change.”

Outside the door, Sam swallowed against the lump in his throat, silently heading down the hall towards the library.

 

*                                  *                                  *

 

“Find anything yet?”

Sam shook his head jerkily, never looking up from the book of lore he was hunched over as Gabriel entered the room.  It was closer to noon now, and Sam was almost at his wits end.  His eyes hurt from reading, his brain from the translations of several non-English texts, and the fact that he still hadn’t found anything helpful was driving him up a wall with nerves and frustration.  

“Well I’ll be heading out now.  There are a few thousand angels out there somewhere in need of assistance.”  Gabriel said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck at the thought of the monumental task ahead of him.  “Thanks for letting me stay here last night.”

“No problem.”  Sam said, briefly looking up from his book in time to see Gabe leaving the room.  “Wait a second, come back.”

“What?”

“Let me give you my number, just in case you get stuck somewhere and need help.”  Sam said, riffling through a pile of papers on the table before him until he found a scrap be could tear a piece off of, scribbling down his cell phone number and writing his name at the top before handing it to Gabe.  The former angel stared at it in confusion, but the hunter had already turned back to his work and didn’t see.  “What’s your number?  I don’t answer any calls from numbers I don’t know, just in case.  The last thing I need is the FBI banging on the door.”

“I don’t have a phone.”  Gabe said, Sam setting his book aside and looking up at him in shock.  “I mean, I know what they are, but since there was never any need for me to have one when I was hiding from my family…” 

“…You angels can be so hopeless sometimes.”  Sam sighed, pushing his chair back with a groan and standing up.  “Stay here a minute, I’ll get you one of the burn phones we have lying around in the equipment room just in case.  Once I give it to you, I’ll program that number in it.  I’ll put Cas and Dean’s numbers in there just in case too.”

“It’s okay, really don’t worry about it.  I don’t want you to go through so much trouble when you’ve already got so much work to do.  I’ll be fine, I’m sure.”  Gabe said, sighing when Sam brushed passed him and left the room heedless of his words.  Settling down on the arm of one of the cushy arm chairs, he hummed to himself as he waited for Sam, absently checking his pockets for candy only to come up empty.  He was forever forgetting that he lacked his powers, that some of the things he’d grown so used to like his pockets always being full of candy weren’t constants in his life anymore.  Bored, he reached for the closest book on the shelf nearest him, pulled it off, and started to read.

About a chapter into the ‘exciting’ _History of Modified Hunters Weapons and their Applications_ , Gabe started to wonder what was taking Sam so long simply getting him a phone and programming three numbers into it. 

Setting his book aside he stood up, realizing when he stuck his head into the hallway that he had no idea how big this place was, not to mention where to begin looking for Sam.  After a moment of indecision, Gabe started down the left hallway peeking into every room as he passed it, grinning when he saw a room at the end of the hall with light spilling out of it.  Heading towards he smiled, stopping dead in his tracks on the doorstep. 

Sam lay on a low bench by the wall littered with weapon manuals and rags for polishing the guns and knives, a cell phone clutched in his hands against his chest.  Smiling gently Gabriel quietly made his way to the hunter’s side, taking the phone from his grip and shoving it into his own pocket before scooping Sammy up being careful not to jerk him around too much.  Groaning in his sleep slightly, Sam pressed his face into Gabriel’s chest, curling tightly in on himself in the angel’s arms.  Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Gabe carried Sam back to the room he’d lent him the night before to sleep in since he didn’t have the patience to find Sam’s room right now, especially not while carrying a sleeping, gangly moose in his arms.  Laying Sam down on the sheets he’d recently left, he watched in fascination as the hunter almost immediately latched onto and curled around one of the wings lying on top of the mattress.  Unsure why that sight made a lump rise in his throat, Gabriel pulled the covers around Sam’s chest resisting the sudden, strange urge he felt to lean down to press a kiss to his forehead. 

Heading back into the hall, a hand pressed over the phone in his pocket, Gabe headed back towards the library.

He might not have known where his kin would be to help them, but right now he did know a way to help Sam. 

 

*                                  *                                  *

 

“What’s all this?” 

Gabe looked up from where he stood looming over the table where he’d been working, one hand still poised on the line he’d just been reading so that he wouldn’t lose his place.  Arms crossed over his chest, Sam looked down at the books strewn open over the top of the table, his confusion turning to shock when he realized what Gabe had been doing.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hijack what you were working on, but you were so tired and I figured I could help out, you know, as thanks for helping me out and dealing with my bullshit.”  Gabe grinned, watching worriedly as Sam’s eyes flitted back and forth from text to text mouthing words as he read passages at random.

“How did you fit all this together?”  Sam said in awe, looking up at Gabriel with respect.  Grinning Gabriel rubbed at the back of his neck embarrassedly.  “It would have taken me days to see all these connections.”

“Well, when I came in here to start looking, I thought about what you’d said about there being both vampire and witch activity in the area and that got me thinking.  And then I remembered, this has happened a few times before in the history of things that go bump in the night.  Being as old as the Earth has its advantages sometimes, you remember a lot.”  Gabe shrugged, picking the book closest to him up and flipping pages until he found a page with two pictures, turning the book around to show it to Sam.  “See these two?  They’re your baddies in this situation; I’d bed my life on it.  This is at least the fifth time they’ve teamed up now, everything else on the table is tracking the last four times they did for sure, and a few others that I suspect might have been their handiwork.”

“What’s the story with these two?”  Sam asked, taking the book to take a closer look.

“Countess De Leonor, at this point human, fell in love with a young man on the rise back in the early 1500’s only to later find out in the midst of courting him that the daring midshipman, Justice Montero, was a warlock.  In a fit of desperation, Leonor prayed to Satan to give her the power to live forever with her lover, and got herself bit by a vampire instead.  That vampire turned her, thinking he could use her to get at her family’s money.  Not standing for that, she cut her sire’s head off when his back was turned, and the next thing Justice knew his lover was in charge of all the vampires in France.”   Gabe explained, pointing from book to book as the story jumped and crossed lines.  Same watched him in amusement, a faint smile on his face.  He’d never seen Gabriel be so knowledgeable about anything before, and had to admit the Trickster wasn’t so bad when he was being useful.  “Anyways, they had a love affair that lasted a few decades before Justice, who had never stayed with more than one woman for more than a few weeks before, started to get restless.  Our Countess dropped him then like a hot potato, and the two used their minions to fight each other for about half a century.  Around this time, sickness spread where Leonor and her favorite minions were camped making food scarce, but when one of her right hand vamps took ill, she refused to leave him but sent the rest of her minions away somewhere safe.   One of those vamps risked his life to find and tell Justice that his old flame was on the verge of death, and he immediately went to her side to save both her and her servant’s life.  After that, they hooked up every other century or so for a few months to tear up whatever town they decided to vacation in, killing humans for blood and performing outlandish spells in the name of love until they finally decided to go their separate ways for a few hundred years again.” 

“Wow, that’s quite a story.”  Sam said, running a hand through his hair with a sigh.  “So these two are super old and super powerful, not to mention breaking what we assumed about vampires and witches avoiding each other on principle.”

“At least now you know what you’re facing so you can tell the other hunters what to watch out for.  Besides, I already thought of a plan.  It’s not a perfect situation, I’ll give you that, but it’s not hopeless.”  Gabe shrugged.  “Have them get ahold of hex bags or some good amulets to protect them from vampires and a warlock, then have them stick to hunting the vampires for now.  That should draw out Leonor, and assuming they can capture her, it will draw Justice out so they can deal with him as well.  Oh, and I read in two or three different texts that Justice has a severe allergy to silver, so have the hunters get some silver powder and spread it around wherever they plan to hold Leonor.” 

“That’s actually not a half bad plan Gabe, thanks.”  Sam grinned, pulling out his phone to relay the information to the hunters in Kentucky waiting on standby.  As he paced, he was unaware of the way Gabriel sat watching him, a small smile on his face as he watched the younger Winchester relay orders.  Clicking the phone shut he turned back to Gabe with a grin, stowing his phone back into his pants pocket.  “Thank you for the help.”

“No problem, it was nothing.”  Gabriel shrugged, sighing sadly.  “I mean, at least I could help with this.  I don’t know where to even begin looking for my brothers and sisters when they could be anywhere from five miles from here lost in the woods to somewhere in a field in Asia.”

“Do you have any of your mojo back, even just a little of it?  Something that you might be able to use to reach the rest of them, or at least some of them?”  Sam suggested, shutting the books on the table before picking them up to place them back on their respective shelves as Gabriel sat pondering how to deal with his own problem.  “I mean, when Cas almost fell before, he lost a lot of his powers, but he still had some of them.”

“I mean, I regenerated practically human.  There’s hardly any angel left in me, and the few things left to me…”  Gabe said slowly, suddenly clamping his mouth shut blinking rapidly.  Turning back to Sam he looked at him with an excited energy the hunter hadn’t seen in his face since the first time he’d met the Trickster back before everything went to hell.  “Do you have one of those two-way radio things truckers use to talk to one another?”

“We might in the trunk where we keep the phones, why?”  Sam asked, raising an eyebrow when Gabe ran out of the room without answering. 

A few minutes later Gabriel returned with his arms full of equipment, a brilliant smile plastered on his face.  Spreading it out on the table he started fitting pieces together, Sam watching with interest as he settled down in a seat before it putting on a pair of headphones and plugging them in as he centered himself before the microphone.  Gabe fiddled with the knobs for a few minutes before smiling, turning to look up at Sam with gratitude.

“You are brilliant, you know that?  I never would have thought of this if you hadn’t mentioned retaining some lower level powers.”  He jabbered, fiddling with his equipment to get it perfect.

“What are you going to do with all this?”  Sam asked.  “It looks like the set up for a podcast or a radio announcer.”

“Exactly.”  Gabriel grinned, turning back to the equipment before him looking determined.  “I’m going to broadcast a message of who I am and for my sibling to call my number if they need help of any kind over all radio signals at a frequency that only former angels will be able to hear.  That way, if any of them are near anything that picks up a strong enough radio signals they’ll hear my message and know how to reach me.  It won’t help the angels in places away from civilization, or the ones on other continents, but it’s a start.”  

“That’s actually pretty smart, I’m impressed.”  Sam said, patting Gabriel’s shoulder encouragingly.  The angel glanced at his hand and then up at him, his face turning pink as the hunter pulled his hand away.  “Looks like you found yourself a purpose.”

“It does bring up one question though.”  Gabe said quietly, chewing on the edge of his lip.  “I should probably stay in one location so that I can set the signal to broadcast at all hours without having to say the message over and over again every day.  That, and I should have a place to bring the ones who might need the most help until they can handle life on their own.” 

“Don’t beat around the bush.  If you want to stay here and make this the angel rehabilitation headquarters, just ask me.”  Sam said, smirking when Gabriel looked up at him in shock.  “Oh come on, you didn’t think I’d kick you out and make you carry that equipment all around the country did you?” 

“So, I can stay?”  Gabe asked, watching as Sam headed for the hall with his hands shoved down in his pockets.  When he reached the door, he looked back at Gabe, the look on his face not entirely one of unhappiness.

“Yeah, you can.  Looks like we’re stuck with each other for a while.” 


	3. Ianis

Sam was sitting next to the radio he kept on at all times in the kitchen in case any hunters without cell signal needed to contact him, lazily pursuing a news website on his laptop while his first pot of coffee for the day brewed when the static on the radio behind him dimmed suddenly.  Glancing behind him he raised an eyebrow, poking his head into the hallway when he heard Gabriel clearing his throat at the same time the static jumped again. 

“Testing?  Is uh… is this thing on?”  Sam struggled not to laugh, creeping down the hallway to poke his head into the library.  Gabriel sat in front of the set up he’d rigged the night before, a pair of huge headphones over his ears as he leaned closer into the microphone than was strictly necessary.  “Should I be able to hear myself?  Or are these headphones not connected properly?  I’m a little new to this stuff, so I’m not sure I set this up right.  Does this little red light mean it’s working?... whatever, I’ll assume it is.” 

Crossing his arms over his chest, Sam leaned back against the doorframe to watch as Gabriel tried to shake the tension out of his neck.  Sighing deeply Gabriel rubbed the bridge of his nose, reaching down to poke at a few buttons and check the sound levels before clearing his throat again and hitting the record button. 

“To any fallen angels out there who can hear this, hello.  My name is Gabriel, former Archangel under our Father, God.  If you’re hearing this broadcast, know I’m here to help you and all other fallen angels wherever they may be.  I know many of you are probably feeling scared and alone and betrayed, but I want to help you.  Living on Earth takes some getting used to, but that’s what I’m here for.  Big brothers are supposed to take care of their little siblings, right?”  Sam didn’t need to see Gabe’s face to know he was smirking, smiling slightly himself at the Trickster’s words.  “As the last remaining archangel, I’m here for you.  If you need assistance, relocation, or any sort of help please call 513-456-2209.  I have a safe place to bring you if you need to rest or recuperate.  Together, we can get through this.  Remember, you’re not alone.”

Clicking off the recording Gabriel slid off his headphones, sniffing as he brushed away the beginning of tears that had formed in his eyes as he talked.  He looked over his shoulder, a sad smile on his face when he caught sight of Sam in the doorway. 

“How long have you been standing there?”  Gabe asked, his face slightly pink. 

“Since you started your broadcast.  I couldn’t hear your voice over the radio, but it disturbed the static on the one in the kitchen when you were testing your equipment so I came to see how you were doing.” 

“Well, how’d I do?  Did it sound okay?”  He asked.

“Actually, it sounded perfect.”  Sam said, turning away when Gabriel sent him a surprised look.  He paused on the doorstep as though he were on the verge of saying something; the line of his shoulders hardening the longer Gabe watched him.  “Set it up to play every hour on the hour, just to be safe.  If you get a call and need help, I’ll be in the weapons room taking inventory.”

Gabriel watched him go in silence, wondering to himself if there would ever be a time when he and Sam would be able to be in the same room with each other without one of them feeling the need to disengage the second things got the least bit emotional. 

 

*                                  *                                  *

 

Gabe wasn’t sure how long he’d assumed have to wait for another angel to call him wanting his help, but he certainly wasn’t expecting it to only take twenty minutes after the first broadcast aired.  When his phone rang, he was so shocked he almost didn’t open it.

“Hello?” Gabriel said, barely containing the joy he was feeling from entering his voice.  As confident as he’d tried to seem when Sam was around, he’d been worried that somehow his plan would fail, that not a single fallen angel would trust that he’d been reincarnated and contact him for help.  More than anything, he’d been worried that no one in his family would remember his earlier attempts to distance himself and return the favor by ignoring his offer for help and companionship. 

_“Gabriel, is that really you?”_

“Former archangel in the flesh, speaking and ready to assist.”  He said with a smile, listening intently to the breathy sigh of relief on the other end of the phone.  He struggled to connect the voice to a name, a face, from Heaven.  “Wait a second.  Ianis, is that you?”

_“Yes!  I’m a little surprised you remembered me honestly.  I was so young when you left Heaven to hide on Earth.”_

“How could I forget my favorite little silver hawk?”  He grinned, remembering the other angel as a fledgling with his small silvery wings tucked carefully behind him as he stood on the edge of one of the practice hills where the oldest angels had been taking the youngster to learn to fly for generations.  Ianis had been one of Raphael’s trainees, but his older brother had been absentminded that day, preferring to drop him on the hill to figure flying out for himself while he went about other business in Heaven he deemed more important.  In the end, Gabe had been the one to teach him how to fly, unable to leave such a small and tender looking fledgling standing scared and alone trying to reign in the nervous tittering of his still growing wings.  “So, I’m assuming you need my help?”

_“I’m calling from a payphone in the middle of a tiny town I don’t even know the name of, my feet are killing me from walking, demons keep chasing me, and my stomach is in constant pain but I don’t know why…”_

“Alright, give me just one second.  Stay on the line for me while I figure out how to find you, okay?”  Gabe said, hurrying down the hall into the weapon’s room.  Sam glanced up at him when he entered, glancing quickly between Gabe’s worried face and the phone pressed to his ear as he set aside his inventory list.  “Do you know how to find out where Ianis is?  He says he doesn’t know what town but its small and he’s at a payphone.”

“I’m not a hacker you know; my computer skills aren’t all encompassing.”  Sam said in annoyance, nevertheless sighing and standing up.  Grabbing Gabriel by the arm he led him into the kitchen where he’d left his computer,  pushing the former angel into a chair and taking the phone from him.  “Hello… Ianis, is that what Gabe said your name is?  Can you tell me anything about your surroundings?...  Are there any businesses near you?  Does one of them maybe have the town name on them?... Alright, good.  I can work with this.  I’m giving the phone back to Gabe now, okay?”

“Ianis?”

_“Who WAS that and why was he so surly sounding?”_

“That my boy was Sam Winchester, the man who’s going to tell me where to go to find you.” 

 

*                                  *                                  *

 

Never once since he’d made the decision to live in the bunker full time by himself had Sam ever sat around idle just waiting for his brother to come back.  Sure, he’d been lonely the first few times.  After all, he’s spent years with his brother constantly next to him, and getting used to living without him around took a little getting used to.  And yet, even when he knew Dean and Cas were on their way back to the bunker for help, or just to spend some time with him between jobs, Sam never actively found himself waiting by the door wondering just when they would get in.

And yet here he was pacing the carpet, arms crossed over his chest, waiting for Gabriel to return with Ianis. 

He’d finally figured out that the fallen angel was just over the state line about six hours away.  After giving Gabriel some extra clothes, food, water, and a first aid kit so he could deal with whatever condition his brother might be in when he found him, Sam sent him on his way with a written list of directions and the promise to stay by the phone in case something came up.  Gabriel had called him almost seven hours ago to tell him he’d found Ianis and that they were heading back to the bunker, but since then all lines of communication had been quiet.  He had to admit, he was starting to get worried.  The thought had crossed his mind several times to give in and call the archangel, but he didn’t want Gabriel to think he didn’t trust him to do his job on his own. 

The knock on the door a second later made him jump.

After checking the peep hole, Sam opened the door and stepped out of the way for Gabriel and a thin, short blonde haired man to step inside.   

“Sorry we’re late, Ianis isn’t used to travelling by car… we had to pull over a few times.”  Gabe whispered to Sam as he slung an arm over the younger angel’s shoulders.  Sam shook his head, unable to keep a grin off his face as he followed them into the kitchen.   “Now, I don’t know about either of you, but I’m starving.”

“There’s pizza in the oven.  It should still be warm.”  Sam said, turning red when Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him.  “Don’t give me that look, I didn’t cook for you.  I was hungry, and there just happens to be left overs is all.”

“I didn’t know leftovers constituted a whole pizza.”  Gabriel said, grinned smugly.  On the way to the fridge to get them some beers Sam swatted him in the back of the head, grumbling under his breath about ‘stupid angels’ and ‘see if I do something nice for you again’.  “Anyways, I’ll go get one of the dormitory beds set up for Ianis, be right back.”

Sam watched Gabriel leave, turning back to the table to find Ianis giving him a pleasant if not searching stare.

“So,” the fallen angel said with a smile, “how long have you had feelings for my brother?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH! I am so sorry for how long this update took! In my defense, I was on vacation for a while out of state, then I had to recuperate from that, and then everyone wanted to come visit me at my apartment to hear about my vacation before they had to go back to college... I hope to get back to updating more regularly. I have this and one other Supernatural chapter fic going on right now, so I'll be flipping back and forth between the two.


	4. Under the Table

_“So, how long have you had feelings for my brother?”_

Sam, halfway through taking a swig of his beer, choked in surprise.  Ianis stood up clearly concerned as Sam leaned against the counter and coughed, but the hunter waved him away with his hand.  Sitting back down awkwardly the fallen angel watched Sam intently, waiting for him to regain the control over his lungs.  Finally, when he could breathe again, the hunter rounded on him looking furious, the angel shrinking back into his chair looking startled.

“Had feelings for… how long?!  Never.  I never had feelings for him.  Where the hell did you get a screwed up idea like that?”  He said in a rush, his voice angry and still slightly strained from choking.  Sam had expected Ianis to get flustered at his words, perhaps even a little big angry or offended for his brother’s sake.  What he hadn’t expected was for the angel to smile softly at him and nod, looking away from him a second later as if lost in thought. 

“Ah, I see, very interesting indeed.  Humans and their relations with others really are different from what I’d gotten used to in Heaven.  Forgive me, I won’t bring it up again since it obviously bothers you a great deal.”  Ianis said, bowing his head respectfully in Sam’s direction.  The hunter opened his mouth to respond, slamming it shut instantly when Gabriel walked in a moment later.  Seeing Sam’s face, the Trickster glanced between his host and his younger brother, a worried look springing onto his face when neither of them would quite meet his gaze.

“Did something… happen while I was gone?”   He asked slowly, his eyes lingering particularly long on his brother, who fidgeted guiltily under his gaze but said nothing.  Placing his hands on his hips Gabe narrowed his eyes at his little brother.  “What did you do Ianis?”

“He didn’t do anything, calm down.  Nothing happened.  We’re both just a little tired and feeling antisocial, that’s all.”  Sam said shrugging his shoulders when Gabe turned and gave him a searching look like he didn’t quite believe him.  Rolling his eyes Sam pushed off the counter and downed the rest of his beer, tossing the empty bottle into the trash on his way to the door.  “It’s getting late and I got another call about a research project I need to put a rush on for tomorrow, so I’m going to hit the hay.  You two will be fine without me, right?”

“I’m sure we can manage.”  Ianis said with a grin, Gabriel raising an eyebrow when Sam immediately went red and hurried out into the hallway.  The fallen angel shrugged noncommittally when his brother looked to him for an explanation, the Trickster sighing loudly before hurrying out into the hall.

“Sam, wait.”  Gabe said, rushing down to the other end of the hall where the hunter stopped to wait for him to catch up.  “I know you said nothing happened, but you both looked really uncomfortable, and I know how my brother gets when he’s acting shifty, and I was totally getting that vibe from him back there.  Did… did Ianis say anything… weird to you, while I was gone?”

“Gabe, think about our lives for a second.  What even constitutes weird nowadays?”  Sam asked, swallowing against the lump rising in his throat.  He was going to kill the little bitch sitting in his kitchen for this, he thought to himself as Gabriel shifted nervously under his gaze.  “Why do you think he said something weird to me?”

“It’s just… Ianis has this thing he does where… well, let me try and explain a little bit.  You know how humans can have specific talents?”  He asked, Sam nodding along even though he was at a loss to where this conversation could be heading.  “Angels are sort of like that too.  Some of us have specific powers or talents that the rest of us don’t.  Like, Raphael can harness energy in the air around him, cause blackouts, use electrical energy as power, that sort of thing.  I have a cousin who is particularly good with fire, whether it be starting raging forest fires with a snap of her fingers or putting out a house fire by blinking to save a family of five.  Anyways, lots of angels have certain things only they can do.  And… Ianis is always causing trouble for people with his special talent.”

“What’s his power?”

“He can… sense people’s true emotions or feelings.”  Gabe said, his face turning bright red as he spoke.  Sam’s mouth went dry, worry crawling up in his throat as he waited for Gabriel to continue.  “He’s particularly good at working out the relationship between two people.  Sometimes I swear the little shit was meant to be a cupid, but since he can sense more than romantic feelings Michael felt he could be useful for more than just helping pairs of humans fall in or realize their love for each other.” 

“I see.”  Sam said, his stomach turning over at his words. 

Glancing away Sam tried to keep a lid on the panic pulsing in his brain telling him to turn tail and run as fast as he could in the other direction.  He knew no story he told would hold up if Ianis told Gabriel what had passed between them, but he still felt the need to at least try and save face.  The last thing he wanted was for Gabriel to guess what his little brother had figured out after only a few minutes in the room with the pair of them.  Sam would absolutely die of embarrassment if Gabriel ever found out about the stupid crush he’d had on him ever since the Kali incident.  He hadn’t realized until a few months after the archangel’s death, but somewhere along the line he’d become fond of the Trickster.  He’d brought Dean back to him – granted, after killing him over a hundred times, but somehow, he couldn’t hold a grudge when what he’d done had taught him both that he needed to be less codependent on his brother, but also that he needed to never take his brother for granted in case one day he did lose him and had no one to bring him back.  Besides, it was hard for him to keep hating someone who saved them from a convention of homicidal Gods all gunning to kill them, stood up to Lucifer to give them time to escape, and then gave them the answer to how to take down the Devil when they had no other leads.  That, and he had to admit there weren’t many other people in his life that still had their sense of humor intact after everything they’d been through, and being around someone who could still enjoy life and laugh about it was actually a refreshing change.

Still, Sam found him too infuriating, cocky, and self-assured to ever even hint at how he felt.  There were moments when Gabriel was so self-centered that Sam, someone who’d always lived to help and protect his family, wanted to kill him – though he had to admit, when Gabriel had told him why he ran away from Heaven, he felt a bolt of shame shoot through him thinking about how he’d left Dean for Stanford to get away from their father.  In a way, that was one of the reasons he’d always been so antagonistic with the angel, and he knew it: Gabe seemed ready made to point out each and every flaw Sam had, even if only by embodying those things inside himself.  Besides, Sam didn’t want another casual fling, and he doubted the Trickster could take a relationship seriously when he so often before had joked about everything.  He was sure if Gabe ever found out that he liked him, he’d give him that infuriatingly attractive and annoying smirk of his that both made him want to throttle him and jump his bones.  It was better for everyone, Sam had decided, for Gabriel to never know that he cared about him in that way. 

“So… did he… I mean, you know…?”

“No, he didn’t say anything to me while you were gone.  We just sort of stood there in an awkward silence waiting for you to get back.”  Sam said, internally sighing in relief when Gabriel seemed to buy that response without a second thought. 

“Oh, okay.  That’s good, great.”  Gabriel said happily, sweating nervously when Sam raised a curious eyebrow at him.  “Well, not good I guess.  But not as bad as if he’d opened his mouth and… well I’m gonna stop talking now before I say something stupid.  Have a good sleep.”

The angel turned tail and hurried back to the kitchen, Sam watching him curiously until he was out of sight before heading to his room to get some much needed sleep.  It wasn’t until he was already in bed and half asleep that a thought occurred to him that made him sit bolt upright in bed, his wind whirling at a hundred miles an hour. 

“Why was Gabriel so relieved when I said Ianis and I hadn’t talked without him?”  Sam asked himself aloud, rubbing at his eyes as he wracked his brain.  “What was he so worried his brother could have told me?”

 

*                                  *                                  *

 

The next morning when Sam walked into the kitchen to make a the first pot of coffee for the day, it was to find Ianis busy at the stove trying to salvage something in a frying pan that was currently on fire.  Cursing under his breath Sam carefully shoved the angel out of the way to deal with the problem, Ianis standing close behind him wringing his hands.

“I’m really sorry, I haven’t really gotten the hang of cooking yet I guess.  I thought I knew what I was doing, I mean, Gabriel sort of gave me a quick rundown of how that thingy that heats stuff up works, but I didn’t know how long you were supposed to cook eggs and then they were black and when I tried to fix them they caught fire…”  He said, biting his lip.  When he’d finally put out the fire and turned on the hood to filter out the worst of the smoke, Sam finally turned to look at Ianis.  He took one look at the angel’s pale, petrified face before he burst out laughing.  “You’re… not angry with me?”

“God, no, it’s fine.  I’m the younger brother in my family so I had my share of ruining food trying to cook for myself and not ask for help.  Besides, I’ve already gotten used to fallen angels not quite understanding how to cook.  You should have seen Cas the first time he tried to bake Dean a pie from scratch.  He can make a killer sandwich, but he’s crap when it comes to using the oven.  He cried so hard I had to go out and buy a packaged pie for him to heat up in the oven before my brother got home.”  Sam smiled, ruffling the angel’s hair briefly before going to the fridge to get out more eggs and a different pan.  “I can show you what to do if you want.”

“That would be wonderful, thank you.”  Ianis smiled.  “How is Castiel by the way?  I was worried about him.”

“He’s doing pretty well now that he’s adjusted.  Being with Dean helps him a lot, I’m sure, and hunting gives him a purpose.”  Sam said, turning to give the young angel a searching look.  “He’ll be glad to hear you asked about him.  He was really worried that all the other angels would be gunning for him for the Leviathan thing and inadvertently causing the fall.”

“No, I know he did what he did for good reason.  That isn’t always enough to make up mistakes like his, but Castiel tries so hard to do the right thing.”  He smiled, watching the way that Sam cracked an egg into the pan.  He copied him with mostly success, though they did have to pick out two or three small pieces of shell out of the pan.  “That and I admire how much he’s done just out of sheer love for your brother.” 

“I always did too.”  Sam admitted, turning back to the stove.  “So why are you awake so early?  Not used to sleeping yet?”

“No, I actually wanted to make you and my brother breakfast as a thank you for rescuing me.”   Ianis said quietly.  “I know it’s not much, and quickly realized I didn’t actually know what I was doing, but considering I wasn’t sure how else I could pay you both back for helping me, I figured it was the least I could do.”

“I appreciate the effort, but don’t worry about thanking me.  This is my job, always has been and always will be.”  Sam smiled sadly, turning back to the stovetop to add salt and pepper to their eggs.  “Besides Gabriel did most of it on his own, I only provide the safe haven and driving directions.”

“That’s not what he said.  He said there was no way he could have done any of this without you.”   Ianis said with a smile. 

“What did I tell you last night about running your mouth?”  Gabriel sighed as he shuffled into the kitchen, his blanket still wrapped around his shoulders as he dropped down into a chair at the table.  “Remember, you’re mortal now.  I can kill you quite easily if I wanted to.”

“You wouldn’t kill the first angel you saved.  Besides, you love me too much.”  He grinned, dropping down into the seat across from him. 

Sam frowned slightly as he went to start a pot of coffee brewing – he’d already found out that unless he sat across from Gabe their legs touched under the table because of how they both respectively sat.  Once he got the eggs on the table, places set for breakfast, and the coffee was done, Sam hesitated about what to do as he made himself a cup of coffee.  Finally, unable to deal with the idea that Ianis clearly knew how he felt and the prospect of having even innocently to be touching Gabriel for an extended period of time, he took his cup and headed for the door. 

“Wait, don’t you want any breakfast?”  Gabe asked, a confused look on his face as Sam looked back at him. 

“I have a lot of research to get through today, and I didn’t quite finish the inventory of the weapons room I started the other day.”  Sam said, guilty at the sad look the angel shot him.  “I’ll eat later, okay?”

“It’ll be cold then, and you need your protein.  I haven’t been here very long but I’ve already seen that you forget to take care of yourself sometimes when you get wrapped up in research.”  Gabe said, pushing out the chair on his left.  Sam felt himself wavering, Ianis glancing between them with a wide, happy smile on his face.  “Please come sit and eat something.  I’ll be worried all day if you don’t.”

“Fine.”  If Gabriel’s leg being pressed against his all through breakfast made Sam blush as he ate his eggs, everyone was tactful not to comment on it, just like Sam didn’t say anything when Gabriel fidgeted against him more than was strictly necessary.   

Ianis didn’t say a word all morning, but smiled the entire time. 


	5. Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY (Please see the end notes if you want to read the full apology/reason(s) for my absence)
> 
> Now I will be getting back to regular content and updates on this, my other Sabriel story 'Forgive Me, Father', and my Avengers at Hogwarts fic 'Gold and Silver, Red and Green'
> 
> Happy Reading!!!

“Are you absolutely sure you’re ready to go?”

Sam glanced up from where he’d been sitting at the kitchen table elbows deep in coffee and texts detailing cleansing rituals of Shamanic grave sites as Gabriel and Ianis passed by the door deep in the same conversation they’d been having for almost three days now.

Though Gabriel seemed to be completely on board with his new goal of finding and helping his fallen brothers and sisters, now that they’d worked out a human occupation that seems fit for Ianis’s particular talents with people’s emotions – Gabriel had managed to set him up with a job at a speed dating service, rightly thinking that his ability to see people’s hearts and true intentions would serve him well in playing matchmaker to clueless humans – the former archangel was having some trouble with the fact that part of helping his brother meant having to send him back out into the world. It had been days since they’d set up their plan, gotten Ianis hired, and found him a cheap apartment that they’d easily footed the bill for the deposit and first month’s rent for with one of Sam’s various credit cards, and still Gabriel kept finding reasons to keep his little brother at the bunker rather than driving him out to meet his new life. First, it had been teaching him various human technologies, like how to work a phone and computer. Then, it had been terminology and slang, followed by a truly ridiculous course on what was and wasn’t edible – though Sam had felt the need to chime in at one point that just because SOME underpants were edible, not all of them were.

The list went on and on, getting more ridiculous and desperate as time went on.

“Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you don’t need to. I’m a long ways from the scrawny fledgling you had to teach how to fly.” Ianis smiled, patting his brother’s arm. Gabriel tried to smile as he handed him his backpack, but it came out looking grim and forced. “I’ll be fine. I have a job, a place to stay, and some spare money Sam lent me. Besides, it’ll be much easier dealing with humanity now than it was when I first fell.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because I know I don’t have to do it alone now because of you.”

Sam swallowed the slight lump he felt forming in his throat at the young angel’s words and slipped quietly off into the library with his coffee to give them a little bit more privacy.

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

“Sam…”

“He’ll be fine.”

“I didn’t even say anything yet!” Gabriel huffed, the hunter looking over his shoulder from where he stood making pasta at the stove at where the angel stood in the doorway looking stressed. Sighing the hunter turned back to the bubbling pot and his simmering pan of sauce, already over the almost passive-aggressive worry that had been filling the bunker for the last day and a half. “How could you possibly claim to know what I’m thinking? Did you pick up some telepathy while I was away, huh?”

“First of all, no. I lost all my psychic bullshit powers after Yellow Eyes died and I stopped drinking demon blood like a moron. You know that, I’m sure, and I’d be grateful if you didn’t bring up the one thing in my past that brings me any level of real, deep-seated shame again so casually while I’m trying to make us some lunch.” Though Sam said it calmly, Gabe flinched as if he’s shouted just the same. Visibly wilting the angel slunk over to the table and took a seat at one of the places Sam had already set. “Secondly, you’ve been biting your nails and sighing dramatically ever since you dropped your brother off at his new apartment. I’m sorry if you thought you were being particularly sneaky with your feelings of familial worry and brotherly angst, but you wear your emotions pretty close to the surface. Anyone with eyes or the ability to hear you huff every ten minutes could figure out something was upsetting you.”

“I’ll have you know I’m not worried at all and that I trust my brother implicitly to be okay… even if he is several hours late from when he said he’d call me so I know he’s settling in okay.” Gabe said as he fiddled with the edge of the table cloth absently. Sam turned off the stove, glancing back at his companion as he moved over to the sink where he’d already placed the strainer to drain the water from his noodles. The look of complete and utter vulnerability on his face shocked Sam so much – he hadn’t even looked so broken when he’d cried the first night they’d been reunited after his supposed death – that his hand slipped. Next thing he knew, he’d poured a pot of boiling pasta over his left hand.

“FUCK!”

“Why would you do that?!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose you blasted featherhead!” Sam snapped, flipping the water on to its coldest setting and shoving his hand under it as quickly as he could. “I was just… surprised. You don’t usually open up so much.”

“Oh.”

Sam sighed, leaning forward to rest his forehead against the upper cabinets next to the sink. He tensed slightly as he felt hands graze gently over his back, fingers moving in slow, soothing circles. Against his better judgement he leaned back into the touch, sighing when the pressure became gently rougher as it searched for his points of tensions.

“I’m sorry.” Gabriel said quietly, pressing his forehead into Sam’s shoulder as he hands slid down to wrap the hunter into a hug.

“It’s not your fault.” Sam said in a tense voice, tenderly placing his non-injured hand onto Gabriel’s where it wrapped around his waist. “What do you possibly have to feel sorry about?”

“That I can’t heal you anymore when you need it most.” Neither of them said anything for some time, both of them so wrapped up in their respective thoughts and the comforting feeling of having someone next to them that understood their needs and dependencies that neither of them heard the door to the bunker grinding open. It wasn’t until Castiel screamed that they jumped apart, turning with their hearts pounding in their throats to find Dean and Cas standing in the doorway looking equal parts exasperated and surprised.

“Gabriel?!

“Sam what the fuck is going on?”

“You’re alive?!”

“What the fuck?”

_**“You could have called!”** _ They both shouted at once, each one reaching out for their brother – Castiel to pull his into a hug, Dean to smack his in the back of the head.

“There wasn’t really a point, you were on your way back here already when he showed up. Besides, I figured Gabriel could use some time getting used to being human before… well, this happened.” Sam sighed, gesturing at the two sobbing angels currently standing in their kitchen grasping at each other like their lives depended on it. Taking his older brother by the elbow he led him out of the room and into another room far enough away that both sets of brothers could have some much needed privacy.

“Why is he here after what he’s done? I remember how wrecked you were after the hundred or so Tuesdays you said you watched him murder me, you still can’t listen to Asia without flinching man!” Dean sighed, running hand distractedly across the nape of his neck. Looking up at his little brother he smiled sadly, clearly losing his tenseness as he started to get over the shock of finding a supposedly dead archangel standing in their kitchen pressed against his brother like ghosts on cemetery dirt. “Not that I don’t trust your judgement or anything, but what could have changed that you’re willing to overlook how big of a dick he’s been to us in the past?”

“I guess I better explain…”

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

“So that’s… wow, that’s a lot.”

“Yeah, I know.” Gabe sighed, absently fluffing his little brother’s hair. Neither of them seemed inclined or able to stop casually making sure that the other was actually real, that they weren’t just a figment of their imagination. “I mean, at least we both are figuring shit out.”

“Both with some help from the Winchesters, it seems.” Cas said pointedly, not meeting his brother’s eyes. Gabriel’s face colored, but neither one of them said anymore on the subject knowing it would all work itself out in due time. “So… has Sam mentioned… me and Dean…?”

“That you two both finally came to your senses and hooked up? Yeah, it might have come up at least once or twice. And I might have accidentally found your copy of my wings that he made you and had a panic attack on Sam, but I digress. Basically, it’s come up.” Gabe said slowly, smirking as his brother’s face went bright red the more he spoke. Clapping his brother on the shoulder he laughed, shaking his head. “Look, its fine. I’m glad you guys finally got your shit together and realized what the rest of us did a long time ago.”

“And you and Sam?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Good to see you haven’t changed at all.”

“No, he hasn’t.” Both of the angels jumped as the Winchesters walked back into the room, both of them trying to read their faces to see if they’d heard or even suspected what they’d been talking about. Sam raised an eyebrow at their tense faces. “You two okay?”

“Yeah. Fine. We’re perfectly fine.” Gabriel said in a high voice, Castiel trying to elbow him in the ribs covertly and failing spectacularly.

“It’s just been a long day, and that was without finding out my brother wasn’t dead anymore.” Castiel said, giving Dean a significant look that no one missed but everyone also chose not to comment on.

“Um… yeah, so tired, so much driving you know? I love my baby but sometimes you really just want to stretch out in a bed and relax you know?”

“…This subterfuge is ridiculous, and very badly acted out, just saying. All of you need to learn how to not overact. I have no idea what’s going on, so I’m going to bed. Hopefully tomorrow morning everyone will be acting a little more normal. Good to have you two back, by the way. G’night.” Sam sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets on his way out of the room.

“Somehow,” Dean said, turning to glance at Gabriel “I have a feeling nothing around his will ever be normal again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY, AGAIN, FOR MY ABSENCE!
> 
> I have so many reasons for my sabbatical. First, there were several computer problems including the death of my first laptop, the shittness of its replacement, the lack of internet for a YEAR, and then the setting up of the current desktop model that is very very good (thank goodness). Then there were a mass of personal issues - a best friend went through a tragedy and I dropped everything to be at their side for support, there was some family drama for me and my boyfriend, and two romantic entanglements that got messy for a few months as it was decided who wanted to be with whom and if anyone was breaking up (so messy...). Lastly, work. I've been promoted and stretched to my breaking point with overtime and under-staffing and the changing of upper management. 
> 
> Finally though, I believe I have figured out how best to transverse my new life and everything is starting to settle down. As I said, I will be back to regular content and updates. Thanks for sticking around :)


	6. Public Enemy

“Are you already looking for a new case?”

“Well that happens to be the job Sammy. I can’t just sit around and wait for something huge like the Apocalypse to announce itself, we don’t always get that lucky.” Dean said with a sigh, taking the beer his brother offered him as he dropped down on the couch next to where he sat with the laptop open scrolling through forums and message boards for solid leads.  “I know you gave up life on the road for your permanent research nerdgasm, but surely you remember at least a little bit how this works.”

“I know, but you just got here.” Sam said begrudgingly, shifting uncomfortably when Dean gave him the side eye. “Look, Castiel just found out his older brother is alive. Don’t you think he might like to, I don’t know, spend a little time with him before you two hit the road again?”

“Are you sure you’re looking out for Cas asking us to stay a little longer than usual, or are you covering your own ass?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Sam knew, of course, exactly what his brother was talking about even if he wouldn’t admit it. Generally, Dean and Cas only stays at the bunker for a day or two, maybe three if one of them was feeling particularly burnt out or they had trouble finding any solid leads worth checking out. They’d already been at the bunker for five days, not even counting the night they’d arrived, something that Dean was especially aware of and was giving Sam no small amount if shit over. Every single time Dean started thinking about packing up the car or looking for a case, there was something else Sam wanting him to help fix around the bunker – first it had been a leaning bookshelf, then it was some faulty circuits in the weapons room, then it had been repainting all the traps in the dungeon – before going all out desperate and suggesting he take the angel brother around town to do touristy shit so they could all ‘bond’. Even though Dean knew exactly why his little brother was stalling their exit, he was beginning to reach the end of his patience for menial tasks and starting to get stir-crazy for the open road.

“Oh come on, you aren’t that clueless Stanford boy.” Dean grinned, knocking his brother’s shoulder with his own when he blushed. “Jesus, and after all the shit you gave me and Cas after we finally figured everything out you go and act all cagey about Gabe.”

“It’s not like that at all.” Sam said, clearing his throat when Dean turned to give him a knowing look. “I just… it’s been a little awkward being here alone with him all the time, that’s all. I thought some company might make living together easier.”

“No, you’re right, I get it.” He smiled, shutting the laptop and standing up. As he moseyed over to the door he laughed, glancing back at his younger brother over his shoulder as he turned out of the room. You just want to keep a buffer up as long as possible before giving in to how you feel.”

“That’s not it at all!”

“Whatever.”

“…Is this a bad time?”

Sam jumped, swallowing against the rising lump growing in his throat as Gabriel entered the room carrying a small stack of papers. Shaking his head he watched curiously as the former archangel strode over to him, a worried look plastered across his usually joyous face. Sitting up a little straighter he took the papers when they were thrust out to him, looking over them without really comprehending any of the foreign text.

He did, however, recognize the face of Castiel printed in the middle of all of them.

“What are these?”

“I was on the internet, you know, trying to find some angels. I figured if you guys can find hunting jobs on there, it was at least worth a try to see if any angels had figured out how to find one another on there. While I was on one server that claimed to be an ‘angels only’ forum – total bullshit by the way, all humans trying to be sexy or religious in equally sickening amounts – I found these.” Gabe sighed, sitting down on the coffee table across from where Sam sat, hanging his head in his hands. “I almost wrote these off when I was scrolling past but then I realized they were of Castiel’s face.”

“Do you think these are legitimate?” Sam asked, handing them back to the frustrated angel.

“Definitely. They’re in enochian, our language. There are almost no humans who can read that, let alone write it.” Gabe said, gesturing down at the papers. “It’s not so much if they’re real or not that worries me. It’s the content I’m concerned about.”

“What do they say?”

“Basically, they’re blaming Cas for the fall. And they want him found, dead or alive. Preferably dead.”

“…Have you shown these to him, or to Dean?” Sam asked, sitting up a little straighter when Gabe shook his head. “Dude, you’ve got to tell them. This is a huge deal. They need to know so they can properly protect themselves on hunts. Their work is dangerous enough without a bunch of angel’s taking bounties for Castiel’s head.”

“I know… but if I tell Cas, it’ll crush him. He was trying to do the right thing, and he was misled. It happens to him a lot, and I can sort of understand where our other brothers and sisters are coming from trying to blame him, but his heart has always been in the right place. He didn’t mean for this to happen. He was tricked.” Gabe sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Besides, I’m more worried about him trying to be too damn noble and turn himself in than any of those jokers getting the drop on him. Cas is a particularly resilient little soldier when he wants to be.”

“I hate to do this, but if you don’t show him I will.” Sam said, setting his jaw defiantly when the angel looked up at him angrily. “He has a right to know. And no offense, but I’d rather he and Dean don’t end up dead because you’re too afraid to hurt your little brother’s feelings. Having to deal with Cas angsting about his fuck up would be better than burying him and my brother because of it.”

“…You’re right.” The angel sighed, running a hand through his hair. The hunter watched him struggling with himself in silence, unsure whether or not he should say anything or try to comfort him. “Damn it, I know you’re right. I just… I’m sick of watching him get hurt.”

“It’s hard, there’s no denying that.” Sam sighed, reaching out to clap a hand on his shoulder. Gabriel looked up at it almost curiously, his face going pink as he looked up into the other man’s face. “But think of it this way: when your other option is being dead, the hard option’s no so bad anymore.”

“I guess you’ve got a point.”

 

*       *       *       *       *

 

“Is he taking this well, or badly? I can’t tell the difference.”

“Let’s go with good. Anything that gets me out of here and all the mounting sexual tension is fine with me, especially if it means I get to be on the lookout of dicks with wings to stab.” Dean sighed, sliding an angel blade up the sleeve of his jacket just in case before picking up his duffle bag to shove in the trunk. Sam shifted uncomfortably next to him, clearly worried. “Hey, we’ll be fine. We’ll be back before you know it. This trip shouldn’t take more than a week tops, two if there’s more than three witches. And we know there bitches are gunning for our boy now, so we can protect him. It’ll be fine.”

“I’m not worried about the witches.” Sam said firmly, his eyebrows furrowing as he watched the angel hug his brother quickly before locking himself in the Impala. “Cas was pretty quick to find a case and get back on the road after Gabe told him what he found. He seems… reckless. If this becomes a revenge thing…”

“I won’t let it get to that point.” Dean said, the complete faith in his voice calming his brother slightly. “He’s just feeling a little wounded right now. Once we get back into the swing of things he’ll calm down and be back to normal, I’m sure. And with Gabe calling out to all the other angels trying to be Mother Theresa, I’m sure things with get smoothed over eventually between Cas and the other winged monkeys.”

“One can only hope.” Sam smiled, hugging his brother goodbye. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

Turning to go inside, Sam stopped on the doorstep to watch Gabriel. He stood next to the car smiling as if nothing was wrong, but the way he was wringing his hands spoke of his true mental state. Stepping back as the car started up, he stood looking out at the road long after the Impala and his brother had disappeared from sight. Only then did he turn around and find Sam watching him stare, his face going pink. Sidling up to the other man he leaned into him when he rested an arm around his shoulders unabashedly seeking comfort as they headed inside together to the kitchen for a beer.

“How do you do it?”

“Do what?” Sam asked, plopping down at the kitchen table with a groan. He gestured for Gabriel to sit, not even huffing at him when he choice to sit next to him and invade his space rather than sitting across from him.

“How do you stand to watch them leave all the time?” Gabe asked in a small voice, not looking up from where his hands held his beer in his lap. Not sure how to respond, Sam took a long drink hoping the silence would work itself out. Glancing up, the angel caught his eye. “Does this feeling ever go away? The worry that it’ll be the last time you see them?”

“Honestly?” Sam sighed, setting his beer aside when the angel nodded. “No, it doesn’t. It gets easier, I won’t deny that, but the worry’s always there. I always feel like I should be out there with him, just to keep him safe, but I’m more useful from here and we both know it. Other hunters depend on this knowledge now too, not just Dean and Castiel. I have a purpose here, just like they have one out there hunting. Having a purpose helps.”

“Like me finding the other angels. And, now, clearing Cassy’s name.”

“Exactly.”

They sat in silence for a long moment, neither of them looking at once another. Neither one of them would admit it, but even after everything that had happened in the last few days both of them were still hung up on what Ianis had said.

“Well, I want to go add a disclaimer to my signal that Castiel is a friend, not a foe. I’m not sure it’ll help, but it can’t hurt to try.” Gabe sighed, pushing away from the table and standing up.

“Hey, before you go, I got something for you.” Sam said, coughing when Gabriel turned to give him a playful look. Getting up Sam raided a few cabinets, finally tossing the angel a big bag of suckers. “I figured you’d had a rough… well, everything since you got back, and that you might need something comforting.”

“Thanks Sam, really.”

“No problem.”

If either one of them was blushing when they separated, neither mentioned it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short, I know, but I haven't had much time to write lately since I'm preparing to move. I have some good ideas for this fic, so hopefully once things calm down a little bit I can churn out some more content :)
> 
> Happy Reading!

“Is there a reason I came back from the bathroom and you’d eaten all of my waffles?”

“Distress call, no time to cook for myself.” Gabe said, slamming down Sam’s now empty cup of orange juice as he shrugged on his jacket and grabbed at the keys to the car Sam had ‘acquired’ for the bunker a few days after first settling in by himself. Dean called it a morbid piece of junk, but it was functional and didn’t require near the amount of maintenance the Impala did, so Sam liked it. “I’ll make it up to you when I get back.”

“Yeah, sure you will.” Sam sighed, shaking his head. Gabriel running out of the bunker like a bat out of Hell because he’d gotten a call from a downed angel had become more and more frequent in the last two weeks as word of his return and subsequent call to help his brothers and sisters spread farther and farther throughout their community. As such, Gabriel stealing his just made breakfast if he turned his back on it for even a second had also become something he expected to happen from time to time.

What WAS unusual, however, was the kiss Gabriel hastily pecked on his cheek as he rushed passed him and out of the kitchen.

It took Sam a few seconds to regain control of his brain function enough to stagger out into the hall after the archangel, fully aware of the blush slowly creeping its way up his neck into his face and ears. He would be lying if he said that he hadn’t seen there was something out of the ordinary going on, but he’d liked the slow unfolding pace that Gabriel had just thrown out the window because it gave him time to collect his feelings properly. There were certain things he knew about himself, and certain things he’d buried so far down inside himself he wasn’t sure whether they could ever see the light of day again – one of which being every and all thoughts and feelings about the trickster currently living with him. It was easier than thinking about it, than feeling, after everything they’d both lost and regained throughout the course of their interactions with each other. Now, he worried, he was going to actually have to deal with it. He caught Gabriel just as he reached the front door, his hand twisting firmly in the loose fabric of the back of his jacket.

“Wait just a damn minute!” Sam snapped, holding the shorter man back as he tried to pull free and dart out the front door. “Did you just… did you just kiss me?”

“No! Well, yes, technically I did. But it’s not like I was thinking of doing it, it just happened. There was no thought, just action.” Gabriel rambled, glancing a nervous look back over his shoulder at Sam, slightly surprised and heavily relieved when the ex-hunter didn’t seem to be preparing to punch him or scream in his face. His shoulders slumped slightly as he sighed, giving Sam a pleading stare. “Look, can we not do this now? I know… I know we’ll need to talk about it, but my family needs me right now and I need to go get them.”

“…Fine, I’ll see you when you get back.” Sam let go of his jacket, taking a heavy step back. Gabriel didn’t move for a minute, still looking back at his companion like he was sure the world was going to ripped right out from under his feet at any second, before finally slipping out the door.As he slink back to the kitchen to make himself a very strong cup of coffee and a new plate of waffles, Sam touched the spot on his cheek where Gabriel had kissed him trying to work out just how he felt about the archangel.

He figured it would be better to decide whether he most wanted to deck him or kiss him back before he got back.

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

“You didn’t tell me there was two of them.”

“To be fair, I didn’t say much about this pick up mission before I raced out this morning.” Gabriel smiled cheekily as he ushered the two young teenage-looking angels holding hands into the bunker. Rolling his eyes Sam gave the two new occupants of the bunker a quick once-over, a pang of sympathy shooting through him as he took in the sight. The boy and girl looked like they must have been living mostly in the woods since they landed, their ruined and ripped clothes hanging on mildly malnourished framed. Both angels shifted nervously from foot to foot as Sam examined them, clinging to one another like their lives depended on it. “Sam Winchester, I’d like you to meet Lyre and Aria, two of the best angels from Heaven’s pre-fall victory choir. Twins, this is your host Sam.”

“Nice to meet you both.” Sam said with a nod in their direction, glancing over their heads at Gabriel. The archangel placed a hand on each both their shoulders, clearly trying to be a steadying presence to his younger siblings. Sam’s stomach flipped at the sight, a surge of affection for the goofball surging through him at the sight. “Why don’t you take them to get cleaned up and get a change of clothes? I’ll need to a while to set up a second room so they both have a place to sleep. Then we can worry about dinner once that’s settled.”

“If it’s alright with you, we’re fine with one room. I’d rather not be separated.” Aria said in a timid voice, the soft lilt of it almost musical. Lyre’s hand curled more protectively around his sister’s as she spoke, his face disappearing into her hair as he rested his forehead against her shoulder.

“Of course, whatever you two think is best.” Sam said, smiling at the look of brilliant relief that shot across the young woman’s face. “In that case, I’ll get started on dinner. See you all back at the kitchen in an hour or so?”

“Sounds about right.” Gabe nodded, patting his siblings on the shoulders. “Come on fledglings, let’s get you cleaned up and into something that’s not dirty and covered in demon blood.”


	8. Twin Troubles

“You need to hurry up and find these two their own place.”

“What’s the big rush?” Gabe looked up from where he was tinkering with his signal equipment, raising an eyebrow at the overly tense line of Sam’s shoulders from where he stood leaning against the doorway to the library. Standing up he hurried over to the hunter’s side, confused by the way he subtly backed away as he was approached. “It’s only been a few days since they got here. You didn’t rush Ianis out the door this fast, why do the twins need to leave?”

For a minute, the archangel watched Sam clearly chewing on his words, weighing them inside his head, watching the resolve that had sent him bursting into the library in the first place crumble away.

“Never mind, I’m just… not used to this many people in the bunker I don’t know. I’ll just have to get used to it if this place is going to be Angel Rehab.” Sam sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Gabriel tried to take a few tentative steps towards him, giving up when the hunter jerked away at his approach. Something was clearly going on, though what it could be, the archangel had no idea. “Take as long as you need to get them ready. I’ll be in the archives outside the dungeon for the next few days doing inventory anyways.”

Gabriel watched him walk away, his brow furrowed, trying to think about to his memories of the twins for anything that might make someone as generous as Sam want to boot them as soon as possible. Lyre and Aria had been model angels up in Heaven. Sure, there had been talk amongst some of his older brothers about how odd it was that they spent almost every waking second together, but other than their deep-seated dependence on one another they’d been seen as kind, lovely young fledglings. While he didn’t know much about Lyre outside of an official capacity, he knew Aria had been quite the little reader and could often be found when she wasn’t with her brother hiding out in the Great Library – he’d assumed her and Sam would particularly get along, but he’d clearly been wrong about that. When he came up with nothing conclusive though, he headed back to his table to continue working on boosting his signal so there was more potential for angels to hear it.

As his hands twitched over the wires, he began to worry that the real reason Sam wanted the twins to leave had less to do with the young angels or anything they might have done since showing up and more to do with _him._

Sam had made him swear they would talk about the kiss when he got back to the bunker, but so far every single time he’d tried to bring it up the mortal had made up some excuse to ignore him or excuse himself to do some other business. They hadn’t so much as said three words about what had happened, and last time Gabriel had tried to bring it up, Sam had called it ‘the incident’ – when it had gone from being a simple kiss on his way out the door to a full blown incident, Gabe didn’t know. Ever since then, Sam had been clearly avoiding him, which was starting to get just as frustrating as it was hurtful. They’d promised to talk this out, and now it seemed the human had lost his nerve and was instead determined to push Gabriel away rather than sort things out like an adult.

“We’ll just see about that.” Gabriel muttered under his breath, unaware of the presence by the doorway watching him. “Samuel Winchester, whether you like it or not, you’ve got to deal with me. I’ll make sure of it.”

“How interesting.”

“Huh?” Gabriel whipped around, sure he had heard a voice, but there was no one there. After a few minutes to adjust his heartrate and check the hallway, the archangel sighed and went back to his work, sure his stress must have been getting the better of him.

From elsewhere in the bunker laughter broke out, but he was too far away to hear it.

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

“Seriously Dean, they’re weird, even for angels.” Sam hissed, pinching the bridge of his nose as his brother’s laugher crackled through the phone unsteadily. After dealing with the witches, his brother and Castiel had headed straight up into the mountains on the trail of a loose windigo that had been kidnapping Boy Scout troop leaders from the state-wide camping jamboree. Communication had been shoddy for days, and today was no exception. Still, he didn’t risk being too loud – he’d noticed that the pair of teenagers seemed to always be around right when you thought you were alone, listening and staring intently at him. It was starting to really give him the creeps.

But he didn’t want to worry Gabriel needlessly, or hurt his feelings by talking badly about the siblings he’d just rescued, especially when they’d already had it so tough. Once Gabe finally got them talking, they’d fragmentally explained how when they’d fallen, demons in the area had immediately set upon them, cutting off all contact between them and the modern world trying to snuff them out. They’d been living off the land, hiding in forests and sleeping in the tops of trees, terrified that every human they encountered camping or every farmer in the fields they crossed was possessed by a demon on the lookout for them.

“What do you want me to do about it?”

“Could you ask Cas what he knows about them?” Sam sighed, keeping a close eye on the door. The familiar prickle had picked up in the back of his neck that usually signaled one or both of twins were lurking about. “Gabriel seems to think they’re fine, but I get the feeling he didn’t deal with them too often. Another opinion of them might make me calm down.”

“I’ll see what I can do and get back to you, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“And Sammy? Trust your instincts and stay on your toes.”

“I’ll do my best.” Sam sighed, hanging up the phone as he heard footsteps treading quietly down the hallway towards his room. Standing up he pressed his back against the wall by the door, waiting until the steps were just outside his door before jerking around the doorframe to peer into the hallway.

There was no one there.

As Sam hurried out of his room to head back down to the archives, he tucked a gun into the back of his pants just to be safe.

 

*      *      *     *      *

 

“…And remember, Castiel is not your enemy. He is aligned with me, the last remaining archangel. We’ll only here to help.”

Smiling as he ended his recording, Gabriel took off his headset and turned off his equipment, determined now that he was done with his recording that he was going to talk to Sam about the conversation they’d been avoiding for almost a week or so now. The distance between them was getting worse and worse as time went on, Sam finding more and more reasons to stay away from all the angels in the bunker including skipping a fair number of meals.

“You’ve got this Gabe. You’ve fought for God, you can have one little conversation with the guy you’ve been into for… fuck, years now.” Sighing Gabriel rested his head against the door frame trying to steady himself. “Ugh, who am I kidding? I spend over a hundred Tuesdays creatively murdering his brother again and again and again. Fuck, I’m so screwed.”

From the kitchen, there suddenly came a loud crash that sounded like dishes breaking.

Jerking back from the door Gabriel hurried into the kitchen, stopping dead in the doorway as he was met face to face with Aria on Sam’s lap kissing him like her life depended on it.


	9. Conclusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so our story draws to a close. Sorry to be so abrupt with the ending, but honestly, if I didn't end it now this fic could just go on forever! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Happy Reading!

Sam wasn’t entirely sure how it had come to this: his breathing coming in heavy pants, hands clutching shoulders below him pressing the other body into the ground, the silence unbroken except for the sound of water insistently dripping onto the counter from the smashed vase of flowers littered across its surface. When he was back at Stanford, or in the Impala next to his brother chasing down Yellow Eyes, or even when he was hounding Lilith with Ruby, he never could have foreseen how this was going to turn out, that his life would surprise him so much. It had started with a mistake, and a kiss, as lots of things in his life had been.

But if he was being honest, it had started long before then, perhaps a thousand Tuesdays ago.

 

*      *      *      *      *

It has started with a phone call.

"Hello?"

_"Sam, its Castiel."_

"Oh, hey Cas." Sam put down his book, careful to make his page with the edge of another manuscript he'd been referencing. He had been halfway through inventory when he'd gotten a call from Garth out in Utah somewhere about a supposed lamia with extraordinary powers he needed help with. "So did Dean tell you about the twins?"

_"Yes, he did. I'm glad you called us, Sam.”_

"What do you know?" Sam asked, sitting up a little straighter. His eyes flicked incessantly to the door and back, the feeling creeping up on him again that he was being watched. It had been an issue ever since those damn twins had shown up, but it was impossible to say if they were really lurking constantly in the shadows watching him, or if his paranoia was rearing its ugly head.

_“Lyre and Aria… are a complicated pair. What Gabriel told you of them is true, I’m sure, completely. How he remembers them is how they were when he knew them last. The problem is, he sometimes forgets that time didn’t stand still in Heaven after he went to Earth. The twins that he remembers aren’t the same as the ones you’re dealing with now.”_

“What do you mean?”

_“We all changed after the Fall of the Mornstar. Some of us grew closer to our remaining siblings and Father seeking comfort and stability in our remaining family. Others fell along with Lucifer, some because they agreed with his vision and some because they missed their favorite brother too much to be separated from him even if it meant exile. The majority of us felt… altered, but not in any ways that were obtrusively obvious. It took years, centuries even, to see what the rift in the family had done to most of our subconscious. Like many of us the twins didn’t seem all that different at first, but as time went by… that changed. They took after Gabriel and Lucifer most, I think, of all our siblings – and when they both were gone, one exiled and one willfully hiding from us all, something in them seemed to shatter. After that they were never the same.”_

“Are they dangerous?” Sam asked, fingering the gun in his pocket as he spoke. He knew guns weren’t the most effective weapon against angels, but it could at least slow them down. There was an angel blade Castiel had lent to him on the table, gleaming in the florescent lights above him. His hand twitched towards it often, anytime he heard the smallest sound his fingers curling around it protectively.

_“It’s difficult to explain. In the traditional sense, I’d say no. All angels are dangerous to mortals, but compared to the warriors of Heaven you’ve faced before, these two are nothing important. Both of them were in the choir, so they didn’t see much battle or have any special combat training other than what they might have picked up from watching or practicing with those of us meant to be soldiers. Don’t underestimate them though just because they’re weaker in a fight. The danger with them won’t be physical, but psychological.”_

“I’ve already started picking up on that.” Sam sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “They… skulk in the shadows a lot, I’ve noticed. It’s impossible to tell where they are at any given time. You can leave them in one room, know they haven’t left, and still feel their eyes on you four rooms away behind a locked door.”

_“It’s more than that, I’m afraid.”_

“What do you mean?”

_“Lyre will follow his sister’s lead on anything, and I do mean anything, she chooses to do. She… isn’t as innocent as she may seem, but it’s not entirely a front, either. After everything that happened in Heaven, she became so codependent, obsessive, possessive even. She simply will go after what she wants obsessively, and her brother with assist her without question.”_

“What would she possibly want here?”

_“It’s not a what, but a whom.”_

It was with Castiel’s words and suspicions ringing in his ears that he entered the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea to steady his nerves. There were so many thoughts bouncing around in his skull, so many things he needed or wanted to explain to Gabriel but wasn’t sure how to that the floorboards creaking behind him made him jump, twirling around with a gun in one hand and his cup in the other.

“Easy there, it’s just me.” Aria smiled gently, slowly lowering her hands from where she’s thrown them up in the air as he’d rounded on her looking murderous. Sam dully registered that she was holding a bunch of bright blue flowers. Sliding passed him towards the cabinets she pulled down the vase Castiel had once given Dean daisies in for their anniversary and filled it with water. Once it was full, she placed the flowers in it looking pleased. Only then did she turn back to him, a dainty smile on her face. “Whatever has gotten you so jumpy lately?”

“I think you know the answer to that without me telling you.” He said gruffly, looking away from her to pull out a chair and sink down into it. “I thought I told you not to leave the bunker without Gabriel or myself going with you?”

“I didn’t.”

“Then where’d you get the flowers from?”

“Gabriel brought them back for my when he went on that supply run for you this morning.” She smiled fondly at them, Sam’s frown deepening. “He said he’d thought of me when he saw them, that he thought I would like them. He’s always so thoughtful.”

“Sure kid, whatever you say.”

“Jealous, are you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sam sighed, turning to look at where she had been standing only to find her only an inch from his face. He made to pull back, but her hands suddenly reached up and gripped his face, her nails digging into his skin harshly. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Why does he like you so much?” She asked quietly, scanning his face with her eyes wide. Clambering up onto his lap she never let go of him, her fingers digging deeper into his flesh anytime he made even the slightest move towards his weapon. “What does he see you in, a human, that he can’t get from another angel? Why does he follow you with his eyes when he thinks I’m not looking, or covet your smiles more than mine? What are you doing to get so much of his attention?”

“Now who’s the jealous one, hmm?” He asked, wincing when she pulled at his left cheek unflinchingly. Panic threatened to paralyze him when Lyre walked into the room, smirking at him like he knew exactly how this would play out. The other angel leaned back against the counter looking determined, one hand on the vase of flowers as he watched his sister expectantly waiting for orders. “I don’t know what it is you’re seeing, but I can’t tell you what you want to know.”

“It doesn’t matter, I suppose, if you tell me or not. By the time I’m done with you, he won’t want anything to do with you.” The wicked grin on her face, he understood. When she swooped down and captured his lips with hers thought, that threw him for a loop. He heard a crash, absently aware of the vase shattering against the cabinets, but didn’t understand why she’d want her brother to do that.

But the second he pulled back he understood exactly what her plan had been when he saw Gabriel standing in the doorway looking like his heart had just been forced into his throat.

“Oh Gabriel!” Scrambling off his lap, Aria flung herself into Gabriel’s arms, tears streaming down her face as she buried it into his chest. Sam whipped his head around looking for Lyre, not the least bit surprised that he was no longer there, only the smashed vase on the counter proof that he had even been there moments before. “It was horrible, thank goodness you came!”

“What’s… going on here?” He asked, stunned as he looked between the two of them. “He told me if I didn’t kiss him he’d hurt my brother!” She sobbed, clutching wildly at the front of the archangel’s shirt. Gabriel looked down at her in shock, Sam quickly standing up looking dumbfounded. “You must have seen the way he watches me, always following me. Oh, please keep him away from me! I can’t stand it!”

“Gabe, I never… you know I wouldn’t…” Sam said softly, swallowing against the rising panic in his throat. Part of him wanted Gabriel to say against all odds that he believed him, that he knew Sam better than to believe he would do something like that. The rest of him couldn’t help but worry. After all, if his brother had come to him with something like this, if he’d has a little sister crying and begging for help, would he stop to think of reason or blindly believe her and never stop to think of reason?

After all, what hadn’t be blindly done for Dean, for their father? What hadn’t he rushed into for the mere memory of his mother and Jess?

“Aria… I think it’s best for you and your brother to leave now.” Sam was surprised he didn’t get whiplash with how fast he looked up, two sets of eyes glued to Gabriel’s face as he pushed the younger angel away. “I don’t know why you’d want to get between me and Sam, but that won’t work.”

“You don’t believe me?! Why do you trust him over me?!” She shrieked, her brother hurrying into the room and rushing to her side. She clunch to Lyre’s arm, her eyes filled with genuine tears. “We’re your family!”

“So was Lucifer, and look what happened with him. So were Michael and Raphael and Uriel, and they tried to ruin everything. Family is what you make of it, and who you choose to be part of it. Castiel is my family, and so are Sam and Dean.” Gabriel said, never looking away from her pained face. “You and your brother should go. I’m not here to help people who want to try and deceive me, family or no.”

Sam watched as the twins left, Gabriel following them out of the kitchen and towards the front of entrance of the bunker. Sam listened intently, afraid to follow after them and make the situation any worse than it already was. He waited with bated breath, half expecting to hear nothing – he still couldn’t believe Gabriel had believed him over his family even after all that they’d been through together over the years.

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

Gabriel followed the twins to the door, dejection clear on his face. He felt like he’d failed his siblings so much for them to have tried to deceive him so much, to have hurt him so deeply. His memories of the kind, sweet-natured twins was battling with the ugly vision of them swimming before his eyes now making his head and heart pang with hurt and confusion. He opened the door to the bunker roughly, all but shoving the young angels outside of it.

“What did I do wrong?” Aria begged wringing her hands as she struggled against her brother’s grip, trying to force her way back into the bunker beside Gabriel.

“Nothing, Aria. But there’s nothing you could have done better, either.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t feel that way about you, and nothing you could have done would have changed that. We could have been close friends, but you’ve ruined any chance of that now by trying to get between me and the person I do love.”

“But does he love you?” She snapped back, her lip trembling as Gabriel blinked back at her sadly. “How are you any different than me? At least I went after what I wanted. Maybe it wasn’t the best way, but I still tried. What have you done?”

“Enough, sister. It’s time we left them in peace.” Lyre cut in, bowing his head respectfully to his brother before dragging a wailing Aria away. As Gabriel shut the door he thought about what she said, and as much as her actions earlier had wounded him, her words now had hurt him worse with their truth.

 

*      *     *      *      *

 

Sam couldn’t help but flinch when Gabriel walked back into the kitchen, his eyes averted. There was clearly something on his mind, something more than what has just happened. The hunter waited as patiently as he could, trying to give the angel time to process his thoughts into words.

“I think… it might be time for me to move on, too.”

“What?” Sam asked quietly, sure he must have heard Gabriel wrong. The archangel still refused to look up at him, his hands curled into fists at his sides. “What did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything. I just… I can’t live like this anymore. Seeing Aria kiss you made me realize that.” Gabe sighed, absently clenching and unclenching his hands. He finally looked up at Sam, his eyes filled with tears as he stared the hunter down. “I don’t want to be like her Sammy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t live here anymore pining after you and having you ignore me.” He said in a rush, his face going red as he spoke. Sam swallowed against the lump forming in his throat, trying to remember to how to breathe regularly. “Neither of us are the most open of people. Fuck, after what we’ve both been through it makes sense why. But I feel like I’ve been trying at a relationship that you’re either oblivious to or just don’t want to acknowledge, I’m not sure which would be worse. So, let me put everything on the table and be perfectly clear: I have feelings for you. I always have. I’ve never really known how to show that to you, I mean, have you met my family? Gestures of loyalty usually involve killing people or disowning relatives. But even with that, I have the feeling this isn’t completely out of left field for you, you must have known.”

“I have my suspicions, but if you weren’t going to bring it up directly, I certainly wasn’t going to push the issue.” Sam said, frowning when Gabriel immediately winced. “So you’re just going to tell me that and leave?”

“I think it would be best, if my feelings aren’t returned.”

“And when did you give me a chance to tell you how I feel in all this?” Sam snapped, Gabriel looking up in shock as Sam stormed his way across the kitchen to him slamming him into the wall. The next second Sam was kissing him, Gabriel only recovering from his shock as Sam was pulling back, the angel immediately reaching for him again and making them both lose their balance. They crashed to the floor, Gabriel landing on top of Sam pressing a heated kiss to his lips. Sam immediately flipped them over, pulling back and pressing Gabriel back against the floor breathing heavily. “Jesus Christ.”

“No, but I knew him once. Nice guy. A bit stoic, but given the era, no more than anyone else at the time.” Gabriel smirked, laughing when Sam rolled his eyes. “God, what do you even see in me?”

“Do I need a reason to love you?”

“I guess you don't."


End file.
